She's Not An Animal
by sandstorm7
Summary: (Just a depressing little idea that's been rattling around my head for ages.) Kuvira is paying for what she did. The world is satisfied with the punishment it thinks she deserves...but what has that done to her?
1. Not Going To Like What I See

"You're still sure about this?" he asked me quietly.

"Yes," I said as we walked down the hall to the elevator, the two guards waiting with apathy.

"You're not...scared?" he persisted. "Or nervous?"

I shook my head. "No." I wasn't nervous, but _he_ was. "Should I be, Master Rohan?"

Rohan ran his fingers though his head of spiked hair with an aggravated sigh. He was unusually young to be a master. Well, technically he wasn't _really_ a master.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that," he hissed.

"Just because you're not an airbender," I told him, "doesn't mean you need to feel ashamed about it."

He sighed again, rubbing his stubbly chin. "That doesn't stop me from feeling like a disappointment to Dad in every way I can be."

"You are who you are," I said. "You can't change that. Even if Tenzin _did_ hate you, that shouldn't matter. It _doesn't_ matter."

Rohan shook his head with a dismissive smile, most likely not getting what I meant. "Where do you get all this from?"

"Korra," I told him as we stepped into the elevator.

Apparently he hadn't actually expected me to answer. He nodded in understanding, then sighed in recollection. "I didn't know her for long, but what I _do_ know is that she was one of the wisest people I've ever known. Possibly in the world. History, even."

"She is," I said.

One of the guards hit the lever, and the elevator started lowering, creaking and riveting with age.

"Why don't you want me to do this?" I asked Rohan on the way down.

He rubbed his chin. "It's...I just...What do you expect to see?"

"Anything," I said. "The United Republic's corrupt to the core, and the Water Tribes are going to destroy themselves if they keep trying to claim more territory. Korra's not sure what to do, and _I'm_ not sure what to do, so I need help from anyone I can find."

"Even _her_ ," Rohan mumbled.

I nodded. "She practically rebuilt the Earth Union by herself, and Korra always talks about her. She was the _only_ person who cared about her, who saw through what she did."

I glanced at one of the guards as he shifted, holding a food tray with... _not_ enough food on it, just a small loaf of bread and an apple. No water.

"You didn't answer my question," I said to Rohan.

He sighed. "Alright. Well, I...I don't think you'll like what you see."

I furrowed my brow. "What's wrong with me not liking what I see?"

Rohan scratched his cheek. "Another thing you've got in common with Korra is, um...audacity."

"Audacity?"

"It's not that you _don't_ think, it's just that...you don't _always_ think things through?"

I raised a brow.

Rohan sighed. "Just...just don't do anything rash again, okay? The last thing we need is for you to get arrested by Chief Kanto for real this time. Alright?"

"That beggar was _innocent_ ," I muttered as the elevator came to a squeaky stop.

We walked out into a large dark cavern. There was a...a wooden _cage_ , hanging, suspended by platinum chains at each of its corners. One of the guards earthbent a stone bridge towards it.

"Kid," the other one with the tray said, "don't get your hopes up. I haven't heard her say a single word for as long as I've worked here."

"W-What?" I asked.

"You'll see."

I looked at him in confusion, then at Rohan. The usual nervousness in his eyes was growing.

 _Not going to like what I see?_

I held my breath as we started walking down the bridge.

Once we reached the cage, the guard with the tray set it down next to the thick wooden bars. He knocked on the frame. "Lunch is here."

We waited, but nothing happened.

The guard sighed and shook his head. "See what I mean? You can say anything. Watch." He cupped his hands around his mouth, yelling mockingly, "Hey, _Great_ Uniter! Your _banquet_ has arrived!"

Still, nothing happened.

"Yeah," the other guard said. "I'm not even sure why we keep her here anymore. I don't know what happened. I heard stories that she used to just...scream, cry 'til she went hoarse, whoever was around. But one day she...just stopped. Dunno when or why." He uncrossed his arms. "She'll smell the food soon enough. Good luck trying to get anything out of her, kid. You got ten minutes."

The two guards walked away to wait next to the elevator.

I looked at them, then back at the cage.

What? What on _Earth_ did they _mean_? _Smell_ her food? Hasn't _talked_?

Cried? _Screamed_?

 _Not going to like what I see..._

I knelt down next to the tray as Rohan shifted behind me. I couldn't make out much in the darkness of the cage, but it looked like...someone slumping in the corner.

"E-Excuse me," I tried to say to her.

She suddenly flinched. Spasmed, really. I flinched back as well. I felt Rohan's hand on my shoulder.

She crumpled onto her hands and knees, still not making any noises besides disjointed quivers of breath. She started shuffling her way towards me to get her food.

As her face came into the light better, I saw that her greying gnarled hair had fallen over her face, and also that she had a little mole underneath her right eye.

As she came closer still, I saw that her pale face was surprisingly smooth for a sixty-year-old. It was then that I remembered something that Rohan's sister Jinora once wrote: _An old person with a smooth face hasn't seen enough smiles throughout their life._

It absolutely _hurt_ to remember those words as I looked into Kuvira's vacant eyes.

It hurt even more to watch her snatch her food from the tray.


	2. She Doesn't Deserve This

Kuvira didn't even look at me as she snatched the bread loaf up with long, dirty, crusted fingernails. She scuttled backwards on her knees, almost like a...like a rabid _poodle-monkey_. The way she nibbled that bread...

 _What in Raava's name did they do to you?_

"Jaro," Rohan started softly, his hand still on my shoulder.

"What..." I couldn't get myself to talk, not unlike Kuvira. I wasn't even sure if I was _breathing_. "What..." I shook my head, forcing the words out of my throat. "What did they _do_ to her?"

"Nothing," Rohan said sadly, shaking his head. "That's the problem. When she surrendered after her attack on Republic City, the world leaders agreed to just throw her in here. No fair trial, nothing. Solitary confinement for life."

I could only stare at her as she impetuously chewed on her bread.

"They didn't give her a chance," Rohan sighed. "They didn't give her _anything_. They just left her in here to rot, away from the world and the people she hurt."

"But," I whispered, "she was _sorry_..."

"The world didn't care. All they saw was a dictator, a woman manipulating her nation for her own gain."

"She was trying to _help_ her nation..."

"It seemed that way until she unjustly conquered Zaofu, twisted spirit energy into a super weapon, then used that weapon to obliterate Republic City."

"But... _but_ —"

"I _know_ , Jaro," Rohan said as he gently shook my shoulder, "I know. She _was_ sorry. She regretted _everything_ she did. If there were any sort of community-service projects for her, she would've taken them without a second thought. She even tried apologizing to Suyin, but she just threw her away like she was nothing."

Suyin? _Suyin_? How did Suyin Beifong, the woman who founded Zaofu on the _personal_ belief of second chances, throw away her _own_ adopted daughter?

 _She threw her away just like her parents did..._

Did Suyin ever come to see her? Once, at least, before she died? Did she even feel _regretful_ for feeding the horrible transformation that Kuvira went through?

"Five minutes," one of the guards called to us. I barely heard him.

"Korra was the only thing keeping her sane," Rohan said. "She visited her _every_ week. She made an Avatar promise to stay with her, to not abandon her like everyone else did."

"I know," I whispered.

"But..." Rohan shook his head. "After Korra died, it...Kuvira must've just—"

Kuvira snatched up the apple, instantly biting into it. The mostly-eaten bread crust fell from her mouth.

My fingers dug into the rock bridge. I found myself grinding my teeth.

"I warned you, Jaro," Rohan said regretfully. "I warned you. I didn't want you to see this. There's...there's nothing for you here. I'm sorry. We need to go."

"But...she..." I shook my head. "I... _I_..."

The apple slipped out of Kuvira's hands. She started eating it off of the floor of her cage.

I snapped.

" _How_ can you do this?!" I yelled at the guards, whirling around onto my feet.

They looked at me, then at each other. "What?" one of them asked.

"Why?!" I demanded. " _Why_ are you _doing_ this to her?!"

One of them blinked. "What do you mean?" he asked flatly.

" _Shut up_!" I screamed as I walked towards them. "You know _exactly_ what I mean! How are you okay with this?! Making her _suffer_! Locking her up for life like she's...like she's...an _ANIMAL_!"

"Whoa!" the other guard laughed. "Take it easy, kid! You don't need to start _crying_ on us!"

I stopped. I didn't realize I was crying until I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Jaro," I heard Rohan say from behind.

"She's _sorry_!" I screamed through tears. "She's _sorry_ for what she did! She doesn't deserve this!"

"Yeah she does," the first guard said. "She made her choice. She killed a bunch of people, so now she's paying for what she did. Even if it means for life."

"How about I lock _you_ in a cage for the rest of your life?!"

"Jaro!" Rohan hissed.

The guards looked at each other and laughed. They _laughed_ at me. How did they not understand?

"Okay, kid," one of them chuckled, wiping his eye. "Alright, just relax for a sec. Maybe you don't know how the justice system works..."

My jaw trembled. I clenched my fists. Tears kept burning in my eyes.

The cage door started burning too after I shot it with fire.

" _Jaro_!" Rohan yelled.

"What?!" one of the guards yelled. "H- _Hey_! Kid! What're you doing?!"

I stepped over the smoldering wood and into the cage, ignoring them.

"He's trying to free the prisoner!" one of the guards yelled as they ran towards me, hoping the few at the top of the elevator shaft would hear him. "He's trying to free Kuvira!"

Kuvira looked up from her apple at me as I walked in, the cage swinging gently with momentum. It was only then as I adjusted my footing that I realized she had to _live_ in this thing. She scrambled away from me in fear, all the way to the other side of the cage, which wasn't very far. She cowered in the corner, turned away from me, clutching the wooden bars.

"Kuvira," I said gently, slowly kneeling down next to her, "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to _help_ you. I'm getting you out of here. You _aren't_ going to suffer anymore. I need your help. I want you to speak with Korra."

"K..." Sudden muffles from behind Kuvira's arm. "K...K-K..."

She slowly started looking up, her faded emerald eyes now wide with memory. She _knew_ that name. A name she hadn't heard in _years_. "K...K-Kor..." Her voice. It was raspy, but also warm, in a way.

She finally looked me in the eye, her brow creased in desperation. "K-K-Kor...K... _Korra_?"

" _Yes_ ," I said, smiling, tears burning for a different reason now. "Korra. I _know_ her. She misses you. She wants to see you again." I held out my hand. "Please, I want to help you."

Kuvira's eyes went from mine to my hand. She was still there. She hadn't lost herself completely. She shakily took my hand, the faintest of smiles appearing on her paled face.

"Let's get you out of here," I said, gingerly wrapping my arm around her to help her up. I grimaced as my hand touched her side. I could've sworn I had felt her _ribs_. The guards feeding her next to nothing was to blame for that.

We took a step, and she crumpled to the floor, unable to stand.

"Kid!" one of the guards yelled. "Get out of that cage _right_ now, or you're going to end up in one just like it!"

I shut out his words, focusing only on Kuvira.

"Jaro, _please_!" Rohan yelled desperately, still kneeling. " _What_ are you _doing_?!"

I stopped. I looked from Kuvira to him.

 _"You don't always think things through..."_

No.

"Rohan," I said firmly, " _stop_ being scared for once in your life. You have no reason to be. You need to learn to do what's right. _Forget_ what everyone else says."

Rohan's hand slowly fell. Something replaced the fear in his eyes. I hoped he understood that one. I _really_ did.

"That's it!" the guard yelled. "You're under arrest, kid! Get out of there!"

Rohan stared at me, pleading in silence.

I stared back at him. He didn't get it now, but he would soon.

I helped Kuvira back up, and dragged her out of the last of the cage.

"You brought this on yourself!" one of the guards yelled, jumping and kicking a wave of fire at me.

I gently dropped Kuvira next to Rohan. I leapt and kicked through the flame, deflecting it.

"No!" the guard yelled. "Get him!"

The other guard stomped, pulling a large rock out from the bridge. He spun and kicked it at my head.

It only hit my palm, crumbling into pebbles and dust.

The guards froze. One of them blinked. "W-What just...?"

I back-flipped, kicking a wave of air into them. They flew all the way back and slammed against the wall next to the elevator, groaning and disoriented. I landed on my feet, poised.

"As the Avatar," I called to them, "it's my duty to keep balance in all four nations, to bring peace to all people, even prisoners. And I'm breaking this one out, whether you like it or not."


	3. She's Not Going To Suffer Anymore

I stumbled into a sunny forest clearing, exhausted and panting. I was exhausted because I had just single-handedly fought back an entire prison's patrol of guards. I didn't kill any of them, even though I felt like I should. Even though they probably deserved it. I wanted to be better than that.

Behind me, Rohan was exhausted from carrying an emaciated sixty-year-old for over a mile and a half in his arms. And Kuvira, shielding her weary eyes from the intense sunlight, was exhausted from...

I wanted to stop thinking about what happened to Kuvira.

She was free now. _Free_. Prison was behind her. She wasn't going to suffer anymore. I didn't need her advice now. This wasn't about getting her help anymore.

This was about helping _her_.

Rohan fell to his knees, nearly dropping Kuvira. "Can," he panted, "we stop...running now?"

Rohan had never exactly reached the peak of physical condition. I nodded. "Yeah..." I dropped to my knees as well, all the running and fighting catching up to me. "We lost them. We should be safe."

Rohan sighed, catching his breath, gently setting Kuvira down into the soft grass. She still kept a hand over her eyes. She'd spent too long underground, gone without seeing the sun for...

It hit me. She hadn't seen the _sun_ or breathed _fresh_ air for—

" _Jaro_ ," Rohan rumbled in anger, "I... Y- _You,_ sir, are going to—"

"What?" I snapped, getting back to my feet, ignoring my fatigue. "Going to _what_? Was it _wrong_ of me to do that?"

Rohan scoffed. "Well, it certainly wasn't—"

"No!" I cut him off. I never liked doing that. " _No_! I don't care what the world thinks Kuvira deserves! She deserves life! She deserves a second chance! Lord Zuko got one when he wanted to help Aang! He hurt people, he killed people, but _he_ never got sent to prison! _He_ got to fix his mistakes, why doesn't _she_? Why is _Kuvira_ the only one that has to suffer?!"

Rohan opened his mouth, but had no reply. He looked away from me, fuming. Most of our conversations ended like this. I was right, and he knew that, but he didn't accept it.

Kuvira slowly pushed herself up, wincing, her eyes still shut tightly.

I knelt down next to her, steadying her by her shoulder. "Kuvira?" I asked gently. "Are you...? C-Can you...?"

She grimaced. She gingerly moved her hand away from her face, shaking her head. It took a few minutes, but though she was squinting, she was finally able to open her eyes.

She blinked. She looked around as she sat, disoriented and trembling. She stared down at the green grass for a moment, as if she thought she was in the middle of a dream. She slowly started to run her hand over the soft blades.

It was then that, for what I could only assume was the first time in _years_ , Kuvira breathed the first soft breath of a laugh.

She moved onto her knees, smiling, feeling the grass, chuckling softly in wonder. I smiled until it hurt.

I looked at Rohan as he sat there, watching her. Did he see it now? What prison had done to her? That this was a _good_ thing that I had done? The apprehensiveness in his eyes gradually melted into the same sad elation that I had. He looked up at me, smiling.

Yes. He _did_ get it. Thank Raava.

Kuvira finally settled back, breathing out, looking at the trees and birds, soaking in the sun, feeling the warm breeze on her face for what must've felt like the first time in forever.

She looked at me. "Th-thank you," she said, overwhelmed tears welling in her eyes. "Thank you... _so_ much."

I nodded. I couldn't have stopped myself from smiling if I had wanted to. "Of course," I said, realizing I was welling up too. "You're welcome."

Kuvira looked back up into the bright blue sky, inhaling deeply and exhaling in bliss. It reminded me of what Korra had once told me, how she had healed Kuvira's ribs in prison after they were broken during the fight for Republic City. Kuvira could barely breathe for an entire _three weeks_ , but the guards refused to grant her any sort of medical attention. Korra had disregarded numerous protocols to help her, and defiantly suffered the consequences for it.

 _Korra._

"Do you want to see Korra now?" I asked.

Kuvira stopped. She looked back at me, eyes pleading. "Y-Yes. Please."

I nodded. I sat down, facing the open clearing. I crossed my legs and touched my fists together. I closed my eyes and inhaled, slowing my breathing. I summoned Korra's spirit for advice so often that it was as natural to me as walking.

In just a few seconds, Korra's blue spectral projection faded out in front of me: my past life. My _only_ past life, unfortunately. Sometimes, it felt like she was the only one I needed. She was sitting like I was, wearing her usual casual Water Tribe attire. She had never liked to dress fancy, even at her untimely age of forty-five. Unlike Kuvira, she had a few happy wrinkles on her cheeks. She still kept her hair short, just like it was when she had disguised herself to roam the world.

She opened her eyes and looked up at me. "What's up, Jaro?" she asked with a smile. She was always wise, but never stoic.

"Nothin' much," I said with a shrug. "I don't need any advice, at least, not at the moment. There's someone that wants to see you."

Korra raised a brow, then almost immediately caught Kuvira shifting in the grass beside me. They locked eyes.

"Oh my gosh," Korra breathed, her hands now planted in the grass instead of resting in her lap. " _Kuvira_?"

Kuvira shuffled on her hands and knees in front of Korra's projection, just as in awe as she was. "K... _Korra_ ," she breathed, her eyes welling again.

"Oh my goodness..." Korra put a hand over her mouth, stifling a sob. "Look at you. You're... You're _out of prison_... What happened to you?"

Kuvira was too overcome by tears to say.

"I wanted her advice," I said, "on how to handle the United Republic's corruption and the Water Tribe's territory conquests, but..." I rubbed my neck. "I kinda ended up breaking her out after seeing what they did to her."

Korra nodded, slowly dropping her hand as she sniffed her tears away. "I was _so_ close to breaking her out _so_ many times, but I... Well, I kinda died before I got the guts to do it." She shifted where she sat, still looking at Kuvira. "So," she started conversationally, "uh, how are you doing? Wait...sorry, that's a stupid question. Not good, obviously."

Kuvira almost laughed. "No, not 'good'..." She looked at me with a small smile. "But...better. Because of Jaro."

Korra smiled proudly at me. "He's learned a lot for his age. Even more than Aang did, I think."

Rohan cleared his throat, getting to his feet. "I hate to interrupt, but... Well, I suppose it can wait for a while..."

The three of us looked up at him. He inhaled. "I...I _don't_ want Kuvira getting sent back to prison. I _can't_ see her getting sent back to prison. But, if not there...where will she stay, exactly?"

Rohan did have a good point. Where would... _could_ she go? The three of us exchanged looks.

Korra cracked a smile.

#

"So," Mister Bolin said as he scratched his balding head, "you want her to stay here?"

Rohan nodded. "Yes. She and Jaro are... Well, I suppose they _are_ convicts now, and...I _don't_ want her getting sent back to prison. No one will think to look for her here, if you keep her, that is."

Bolin nodded in thought, itching at his bushy mustache, slowly twisting his cane.

"B-Bolin," Kuvira started, slowly stepping forward, "I—"

"Kuvira," Bolin gently stopped her, "don't worry. I'll keep you safe. I _won't_ let you get sent back to prison. You never deserved all that pain, not after saying you were sorry. You can stay here as long as you need to."

Kuvira's jaw trembled. " _Thank_ you," she breathed as she fell into him.

He hugged her back. "Hey," he chuckled, "don't mention it. It's nothin', really."

"No," she said, shaking her head into his shoulder, "this means _everything_ to me..."

After their long hug, I asked, "Mister Bolin, are you sure about this?"

He shrugged. "Well, sure. Why shouldn't I be?"

"It's just that...what would Opal think?"

Bolin's smile vanished. His usual wise and goofy demeanor turned sullen and grim. "I don't care what Opal would want. She never went to visit Kuvira, not even once. _She_ never forgave her..." He smiled at Kuvira. "But _I_ did. She let her hate blind her just like Su. I'm not like that."

I smiled and nodded. "I'm glad to hear it."

He nodded back. He eased himself onto his feet. "Alright," he said, resting a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, "let's get you cleaned up. Some real food and water wouldn't hurt either."

"Wait," she stopped him. She turned to me. "Jaro," she said, fighting for words, struggling to speak, "p-people...n-need to know that g-gaining power won't help them. It will only hurt them, and...m-make them think that what they want is...th-the only right thing to do. People...n- _need_ to see that power c-corrupts. It will only destroy them and everything around them i-if they...d-don't stay humble."

That was the advice that I had wanted.

"Thank you, Kuvira," I said gladly, bowing respectfully. "I'll make sure that the Water Tribes and United Republic don't destroy themselves. I'll keep balance."

I smiled as I said, "It's an Avatar promise."

Kuvira smiled. Whether it was from her long talk with Korra in the forest earlier before we came to Mister Bolin's home, or that for only the second time in her life stranger had showed her completely genuine compassion, or both, she _smiled_.

As Mister Bolin led her into the kitchen, his children asking tentative questions, Rohan and I walked outside.

We stopped on the ridge next to Mister Bolin's cabin, looking out at Republic City on the horizon. A shame it looked so beautiful. All the seediness spoiled living life there.

"We'll be able to come back and visit her, right?" I asked Rohan.

"Of course." He paused. "I mean, so long as we make sure no one's on our backs first. I'm sure Kuvira would love to talk with Korra again, as often as possible."

I nodded. "I can do that. Always." I hesitated like he had. "You...think she'll be completely safe here?"

"Bolin has lived here alone for a long time," Rohan consoled me. "Hardly anyone comes around these parts. Kuvira'll be safe with him, secluded. He _is_ still quite the lavabender after all, should it ever come to that."

I nodded again.

"Jaro," Rohan said.

I looked up at him. "Yes?"

He smiled, still looking out. "You can call me 'Master' if you want to."

I was surprised. "Why are you changing your mind?"

"Because...because you're right. Because I need to stop thinking like I'm a failure to Dad. Because what the world says is right _isn't_ right. Because..." He looked down at me. "Because you need a teacher."

I looked back out with a smile. "You just don't want people thinking you aided someone who freed a prisoner."

He chuckled. "Well, there _is_ that. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn before I can teach you anything. Actually, _you'll_ probably be the one teaching _me_. I have a lot of work to do."

"No," I said with a shake of my head, gazing at Republic City, feeling Korra's spirit softly emanating in my chest," _we_ have a lot of work we need to do."

* * *

 **Notes:** So, there's no easy way to put this, but, I'm so sorry, I don't think I'm continuing this fic any longer. It's not that I find it boring or anything like that (quite the contrary!), it's for several reasons.

For starters, I have absolutely no clue where to take this. I've reached a really big impasse on how to progress anything here. What's the main problem with Republic City? How will Kuvira play into any of it? What'll everyone want to do to her? I feel it'd get really dark and brutal really fast, and I don't think I want to tap into that more than I already have. As I said, this is just a depressing little idea, emphasis on _depressing_. This has been one of the most emotionally taxing things I've ever written. Kuvira's gonna be okay, that's all that matters. Plus I think I got my point across. The more pressing reason for stopping this fic is I want to focus on finishing _Book 5: Redemption_ (where Kuvira's actually happy. She has kids and everything!). I halted working on that for a few days to get this out of my head so I can work with a clear mind.

I'm so sorry to disappoint you if you were into this. I just don't know how to get my wheels turning to find a new path for any future plot or goal. Any suggestion's a good suggestion if you have one! If it's a good Kuvira-in-prison redemption story you're looking for, might I suggest _The Dictator_ by riot3672. It's awesome. It'll make you cry. I wish so hard LOK went where it did. It's what I based Book 5 after, actually. (Possible warning: Kuvira and Korra kinda end up becoming a couple in it, but it can be glossed over relatively easy if that sort of thing worries you. (I found it to overshadow Kuvira's rehabilitation somewhat but hey it's whatever.))


End file.
